Search Our Site

The Spin Crowd, Starring Jonathan Cheban

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Jonathan Cheban (left) and Simon Huck at LIV; Cheban and Huck with (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Katrina Campins, David Schechtman and Nikki Haskell at the Ridingers’ home; Kelly Killoren Bensimon at The Standard Miami; Huck and Cheban with Khloé, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian at The Clevelander; Mimi Jacobson and Michelle Merkin at Mokaï

You’ve seen him making cameos on E!’s wildly popular series Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami, but this fall Jonathan Cheban hit small screens on the same network with his own show, The Spin Crowd. Cheban’s been a heavyweight in the public-relations world since he opened his firm, Command PR, 11 years ago, and he and business partner Simon Huck have been the go-to guys when it comes to representing high-profile clients and getting the word out on celeb-soaked events. So with a reality show about nearly every industry on TV these days, Cheban—along with good friend and executive producer Kim Kardashian—thought it was time the world got a glimpse into the crazy and fast-paced PR industry.

“I’ve seen shows about funeral homes, bounty hunters, hospitals, cops and fishermen— they’ve all been given the opportunity to give insight into their jobs and the reality of their careers,” he says. “Why not tell the story of what people care most about—the magazines, websites and press they surround themselves with every day?” The idea started as a half-hour special called The SPINdustry, which aired last February and did so well that E! decided to go forward with an entire season. Cheban couldn’t have been happier with the news, even though it meant putting the good, bad and ugly sides of the business on display for the world to see. “Once you commit to it, you’re apprehensive for the first couple of days of filming, but then you just have to let go. I’m not someone who can hold back,” he says. “After a few days you forget the cameras are even there.”

Though Command PR is based in New York and LA, Cheban has clients all over the country and often finds himself in Miami to work with LIV and the Fontainebleau. “It’s one of my favorite cities,” he says. “Miami is great for PR during special weeks like Christmas, New Year’s or the Super Bowl, when all the celebs are in town. You can do so many fun things here and have pool events all year round. It’s unlike anywhere else.”

While the PR firm remains a focus for Cheban, he’s looking to launch a men’s lifestyle brand in the near future and is hoping for a second season of The Spin Crowd. “I really love filming and letting people see how things are done,” he says. “I hope viewers love it as much as I do.”

The Spin Crowd airs Sundays at 10:30 PM on E!

JONATHAN’S MAGIC CITY SPIN

Sunshine shopping: Definitely Atrium and The Webster

The dish: A three-way tie—Hakkasan’s lemon chicken or soft-shell crabs, and I’m obsessed with the meatballs at Macaluso’s.